SMS Poll, as the name suggests, is a mobile cum web service that enables you to conduct live polls and surveys via text messaging.

Not everyone in the room may be carrying a laptop to participate in web polls but they are very likely to have mobile phones that can send text messages.

Once you set up a poll using SMS Poll, your audience can vote by send an SMS from their cell phone to a local number. Alternatively, they can vote online using the computer or through the mobile browser of their phone.

The results of the poll can be displayed in real-time as a live chart in PowerPoint or in an Excel sheet. The charts get updated automatically as new votes are received.

SMS Poll is currently available in UK and Australia but support for New Zealand, India, and Canada would be added by September according to founder Anil Sabharwal.

For people in US, Poll Everywhere offers a very similar service where people can vote by simple texting their response to a US specific short code.

Both SMS Poll and Poll Everywhere allow up to 30 SMS votes for free (perfect for small gatherings or one-time events) though you can always upgrade to a paid version if you have a large audience.

Amit Agarwal is a web geek and founder of Digital Inspiration, a popular tech & how-to website. He has been blogging for over a decade and has also contributed to the Wall Street Journal, Lifehacker and The Financial Express. Sign-up for the email newsletter for your daily dose of tips & tutorials.